Tag Archives: Sulawesi

Tana Toraja: Journey to the afterlife

In Indonesia’s Tana Toraja, it is traditionally believed that death is not a sudden, dreaded event, but a gradual process toward Puya, the land of souls or afterlife. When a death occurs, the community comes together at the sound of a gong to do what they can to guide the deceased to their ancestors in the afterlife, which is said to lie to the south of the homeland. Oft times, the funeral does not happen until months after the death as the family waits for all the relatives…

Diving Bunaken: Under the sea

Diving is adventure.  Diving is exploration.  Diving is going somewhere that few have gone before.

I love exploring.  When I look at the map of the world, I am overwhelmed by all the places I’d like to visit, by dreams of seeing things I haven’t seen.  Initially when you look at a map, most people immediately focus on the land, the continents, the idea of foreign places around the world and images they’ve seen of these places flash through their head.  But take your focus…